


Final Words

by DumbScribbles



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Character Death, F/M, Historical References, Human & Country Names Used (Hetalia), I'm Sorry, Love Confessions, Mild Blood, My First Fanfic, Sad Ending, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:25:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23200120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DumbScribbles/pseuds/DumbScribbles
Summary: Eliza receives a letter in a snowstorm.(AKA a big pile of PruHun angst)
Relationships: Hungary/Prussia (Hetalia)
Kudos: 14





	Final Words

**Author's Note:**

> I've finally done it! I've been wanting to write fanfiction for years, and now, here it is. My first fanfiction, a Hetalia fanfiction in 2020 🥴. Hope you enjoy!

Gilbert had known it was going to snow, but he hadn't been fully prepared for the raging blizzard he was currently trudging through. Usually it would only take him ten minutes to walk down this path, but although he couldn't say exactly, he could swear it had been at least 25 minutes. Or… maybe not even five minutes had gone by? He couldn't really tell. He was already aware of the deteriorating mental state, with the deteriorating physical state to match. The freezing wind and the fact that he had no hat or hood were just the icing on the cake. 

He inwardly cursed and tried to speed up. There wasn't much time left. As he coughed harshly, the pain in his chest confirmed it. He wanted to last just a little bit longer. He had to.

He carried on, ignoring the ache in his legs and tightness in his chest that was shortening his breath. The scars on his arms itched under the sleeves of the thick coat he had managed to obtain. Finally, he began to see the dark shape of a gate appear through the blinding snow. It was made of large metal bars (which actually looked clean… maybe they were new?) and there was a small guard station to the side of the gate (also new…). It wasn't until he was only a few steps away from it that he realized that there was someone inside the guard station. The man inside was staring at Gilbert curiously. "Looks like things really are starting to change," he muttered to himself as he approached the station.

"Uh, hello. I need to get through this gate." The man in the station looked a bit surprised when Gilbert spoke (probably because he was speaking German), and after a moment of silence the man spoke back in slightly off pronunciation, "I can't open gate."

"I…" Gilbert tried to think of easy phrasing. "I need to give something to her. It's very important." The man shook his head. 

"It is my job. I can't open gate. No visitors."

Of course. Of course he was going to get stopped here. After the end of that godforsaken war, it seemed like his luck had just run out completely. Maybe it was karma. Maybe this was actually what he deserved.

_Idiot,_ he thought to himself, _don't give up right away._

He tried a different option.

"Well, could you give it to her then?" Gilbert asked as he pulled the "it" out of his coat pocket.

The man took the slightly crumpled envelope out of Gilbert's trembling hands and quickly examined it, flipping it over and feeling the thickness of the paper.

"A letter to her?"

"Yeah… if you could go give it to her soon. Like, go right now?" The man looked apprehensive, and somehow a small but sour smile formed on Gilbert's face.

"Don't worry, I've got no intention of breaking in. In fact… maybe it's better if someone else gives it to her. I doubt she wants to see me anyway." Gilbert took a step back and began to walk back from where he came, before pausing and giving the man one last look.

"I… Please, just give it to her as soon as you can. It's really important."

And with that, Gilbert turned back to leave. He had accomplished his final task. Another coughing fit began to shake his body, but he tried to push on. Now he just had to get as far away as he could. He didn't want her to see him like this…

Eliza stood idly in her kitchen, waiting for her tea to boil on the stove. She glanced out the window for the thousandth time today, even though she knew she would see nothing but snow swirling around in the wind. Eliza hated winter. It was cold and quiet and it forced you to stay inside all day. 

There had been so much fighting recently and now she just felt restless. After the end of the first war and her split with Roderich, she had been starting to revert back to her tomboyish nature; she refused to stay inside and clean in her frilly dress and apron. Instead, she set her dresses aside, put on a pair of pants, and tried doing the stuff she had enjoyed way back then: horseback riding, fishing, and target practice (she had grown too used to the feel of a gun, a bow and arrow felt much more natural). 

But then the second war happened, and it just felt like an absolute nightmare the whole time. Of course, she aligned herself with Ludwig and the Axis, but she couldn't help but feel like maybe they were the 'bad guys' like the Allies (okay, mostly just Alfred) kept saying. When it seemed like the Axis were finally falling apart (the Italy brothers had even switched sides!), Eliza had tried to worm her way out of her alliance and switch to the Allies, but that had only got her into bigger trouble. And now, she was here. Stationary, frozen in her Pact with the Soviet Union. Forced to go along with Ivan and his 'friends'. There was really nothing to do right now, and even though she was so tired from fighting, she still felt like she should get up and do something, anything.

As if some sort of magical fairy had read her thoughts and decided to grant her wish, she heard a knock at the front door. She pushed herself off the counter that she had begun to lean on and headed towards the origin of the knock. Then the curiosity of who could be at her door bubbled up. She had instructed the gate to be closed, hadn't she?

But her excitement was short-lived as she opened the door to reveal the slightly familiar face of the human who had been stationed at her gate. When she glanced behind him at the blizzard roaring away, she felt a bit of guilt for forcing him to stay in that tiny little room out there.

"I have a delivery for you, ma'am." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope.

"Someone came to deliver something in weather like this?" Eliza mused as she took it, but when she flipped it over from the sealed side to see what was written on it, a feeling of shock and a bit of unease filled her. The front of the envelope was blank except for the three letters in the center that spelled out 'Liz' in scratchy but instantly familiar handwriting. The guard was about to say his goodbyes but Eliza stopped him with her question.

"Say, what did the person who delivered this look like?"

"Well, now that you mention it," he began "he was a bit of an odd-looking guy. He had short, silvery-white hair despite looking decently young. He looked pretty sickly, and not just from the cold. The strangest things were his eyes, a bright red like the devil. And..." The guard hesitated for a second, "he looked very sad, actually. He told me that that letter was very important, but said that you wouldn't want to see him."

"Ah, well, thank you for bringing it to me. Looks like I have some reading to do. Viszontlátásra."

Eliza tried not to look too eager as she closed the door. Envelope in hand, she quickly ran back to the kitchen where her kettle had started to whistle. She quickly poured herself a cup and moved to the sitting room, setting it on a small table while she sat on the couch and stared at the envelope.

She hadn't spoken to Gilbert in a long time. Yes, she had heard about his dissolution, but she had only seen him once after that news came out. Her guard's description of him was fairly accurate to the last time she had seen him. They had been together quite a bit during the war, as Hungary was one of the closest allies Germany had. Their relationship had become a lot better than it had been more than a few centuries ago. There was a lot less childish bickering and a lot more civil chats, but by the end of the war they had just been complaining about everything and rambling on about how tired they were. Gilbert had even come right out and said that he thought his brother might be crazy at that point. It had made Eliza laugh a little bit.

The most recently she had seen him was at a Warsaw Pact meeting, and the worry she had secretly felt was amplified when she saw how miserable he looked. She knew Ivan had not been treating him kindly, working him to the bone and not even letting him see his own brother. When she had passed by him, she swore she saw bandages under his sleeves, and a sharp scar peaking over the collar of his shirt. But perhaps Ivan had wanted them to see that, as despite bringing him to the meeting, he didn't let him do anything or speak to anyone the entire time. Eliza had tried to quickly approach him after it ended, but Ivan had put a hand on the albino's shoulder and sent Eliza a warning glare. The Hungarian hated to admit just how much she legitimately feared the Russian.

And then the thought appeared in her head: How was Gilbert in Hungary? It seemed impossible that Ivan would just let him go…

Not wanting to sink any deeper into the swamp of dread she had discovered, she peeled open the envelope, unfolded the letter, and began to read.

_Liz_

_I'm not really used to writing to other people, but I've just got to do it because time is short and there are things I want to tell you. They're not very awesome things though. In fact, I might be the most un-awesome coward in the world. I guess the worst but only way to start is to tell you that I'll probably be gone soon after you read this (or already gone, if you decided not to read it right away). I finally understand what the dissolution did to me. And I can't even do a goddamn thing about it. Although it might be my own fault for getting into trouble so much. I probably deserve this, right? ... I'm guessing you're nodding in agreement._

_And then the other thing I want to tell you. I already know I'm going to regret this. I'll be burning in hell but still manage to think 'You shouldn't have told her.' But right now, the part of me that thinks I don't deserve this can't take it. It can't take the fact that I love you. That I'm so in love with you, and have been for centuries, almost as far back as when we were kids. I remember how fun the fighting was, and then how not fun the fighting was when you moved in with Roderich. I remember how jealous I was of him, and how angry you were when I fought with him. Back then I couldn't understand why you loved him so much, but I think I get it now. He was probably a better husband than I ever could've been. I know this probably sounds cheesy and stupid but it's just the truth. All the things I said and did, I never actually wanted to hurt you. I was too much of a coward to tell you the truth._

_I've already written enough. All I really know is that shit's tough right now. I'm sure things will work out for you, though. I know you're strong enough to keep going. I've never seen anything that can stop you. Just stay safe. You deserve to be happy. Because you're the most awesome person I've ever met._

_Gil_

Eliza was frozen. She couldn't quite comprehend what she had just read. I took her a moment to become aware of the warmth flowing down her cheeks. A tear dropped silently onto the letter.

It was like a sudden click in her brain. Gilbert had just been here. Outside her gate. Delivering a letter. Alive. In a spark of hope, she dashed out of the sitting room, dropping the letter and snatching up a nearby blanket. She pulled it around her head and shoulders like a cape and she quickly shoved her feet into her boots and burst out her door, not bothering to close it. 

Her first step off her porch threw her off balance for a moment as the rapid wind and freezing snow stung her. Nonetheless, she regained her pace and ran as fast as the snow that was piled higher than her boots would allow. She saw the gate and thankfully, the guard was right there on the other side.

"Wait! Wait! Don't lock it!" The guard jumped back as she dashed up and grabbed one of the freezing bars in each hand, slightly shaking the gate. "I need to get through, please!"

The guard looked confused but took the key and put it back into the lock. The lock came undone and he began to pull the gate back slowly, but Eliza finished the job by shoving herself into one of the gate's doors and flying past him.

Though the snow was falling fast, she could still see Gilbert's footprints. She ran alongside them for only a minute when she noticed an unsettling color in the snow; red. Looking further, she saw more and more spots of it until the footprints veered off the path in-between a few more widely spaced evergreens. She ducked her way in-between them.

In the small snow covered clearing, a body lay on its side in the snow, back facing her. The ever falling snow had started to pile up on it.

"Gil!" she cried, dashing over and dropping to her knees, which sank a decent amount into the snow. Her hand pulled his shoulder towards her so he rolled into his back, arm just touching her knees. She saw her breath as she let out a small gasp. He indeed looked like how her guard had described him, but even worse.

"Wha…?" Gilbert's voice was extremely raspy, but Eliza guessed it had to do with the blood drying at the corner of his mouth, and the splatters of it that stained his coat. He looked at her with glassy, tired red eyes, but they slightly widened when he seemed to realize who she was.

"Gil, it's me! It's Liz!" she exclaimed in panic, "Listen, you're gonna be fine, okay?" She knew they were empty words, but maybe if she said them they would come true. Gilbert's gaze shifted away from hers. 

"Why did you come looking for me?" The emotion in his voice made Eliza's heart clench. He suddenly coughed and to her horror, more drops of blood tainted the snow red.

"How could I not! You just dropped all that on me- that you were dead and that you-" The reminder of his feelings for her caused a wave of guilt to wash over Eliza. She now realized that she might be embarrassing someone who was already on their deathbed.

"...Pretty un-awesome, huh?" The dying German's comedic nature couldn't help but shine through. "I guess I do get to be rejected after all." His pained eyes stared up at her expectantly.

But Eliza only stared back. She found herself speechless. Her emotions were tangled all over the place, but the way he looked at her pulled them all together in a spear that pierced her heart. Through the good and the bad, the anger and the amusement, the storm and the calm, he had been there. Whether she was bashing a frying pan on his head or suppressing a laugh from a stupid joke he told, she remembered he was with her. No matter how many times she kicked him out of Roderich's house, he was still always around. The concept of a world without him... How stupid of her, only now realizing just how much he meant to her.

Gilbert noticed her sudden epiphany, but it only made everything worse. Just for a millisecond, a glimmer of joy flashed in his eyes, before being replaced with an horrible look of anguish that Eliza had joked about wanting to see in the past. She tried not to notice that he was struggling to hold back tears.

"Just say no," he rasped, so quietly that Eliza had to lean in just a smidge closer. "Say no. Please. Tell me you hate me... Tell me how in love you are with Roddy, how you'd rather die than be with me-!" His begging was interrupted by a long couple seconds of coughing and the reappearance of the color of fresh blood. Whether the tears that fell down his cheeks were from his words or the pain was unclear.

Eliza wasn't holding hers back anymore either. She bent over, head on his chest, as the warm droplets began to flow. She tried to control her sobs.

"I… I h-hate you…" she stuttered. "I... hate you. I hate you. I hate you! I hate you so much!" Her cries were muffled as she buried her face in his coat.

For a moment there was silence. Eliza lifted her head. The snowstorm had calmed down, and with the trees blocking out the wind, the little flakes were landing gently on their faces. Gilbert weakly lifted his arm and placed his pale trembling fingers over her own. She could see his eyes beginning to dull. The smallest, softest smile Eliza had ever seen appeared on his face. She tried and failed to smile back.

"Auf wiedersehen," he whispered, and the added almost inaudibly, "meine liebe."

**Author's Note:**

> A few extra details that I wanted state more clearly but seemed awkward to add in:  
> Convo between Gil and guard - speaking German  
> Convo between Liz and guard - speaking Hungarian  
> Gil's letter to Liz - written in German  
> Convo between Gil and Liz - speaking Hungarian  
> it's a cute little headcanon of mine that Gil learned to speak Hungarian specifically for Liz  
> Anyway thanks for reading!


End file.
